We’re delighted to be launching our Into Officiating Course virtually for the first time ever, making netball development opportunities more accessible to members than ever before.

The Into Officiating course is the first step in the officiating pathway for all new umpires in the country and is available exclusively to England Netball members*. Course attendees will learn the basics of umpire positioning and movement around the court through our new fun and interactive rules resources, while taking part in practical activities from the comfort of their own home.

Learners will receive a Rules Book, whistle and Into Officiating Learner Resource as well as access to a host of online resources meaning your learner journey can begin the minute you sign up.

Check the link below tomorrow (Thursday) to secure your place.

*Personal Membership only. Excludes Social and Supporting and Group Memberships.

​A note from our Head of Officiating, Gary Burgess
“As an insight led organisation, we listened to feedback from our learners who wanted a more accessible and convenient approach to our learning offers. With the accelerated development of online video platforms during the pandemic and the mass use of these putting the two parts together has meant we are able to transform the way officials are trained. Our wonderful County and Regional Officiating leads will still be the first point of call for the signposting of learners and I thank them for their support in making this transition a success.”

What is the Into Officiating course?
The aims and objectives of the Into Officiating Course are:

-        To inspire you to become a qualified umpire
-        To improve your knowledge and understanding of netball
-        To teach you some of the techniques of good umpiring
-        To provide an understanding of how the main rules are applied
-        To build your whistle confidence
-        To give you some practical ideas to take away and use when you are umpiring

How will it work?
As well as the extensive online resources, learners will take part in two x two-hour interactive virtual modules.

You’ll be encouraged to gain practice out in the field at training sessions and matches, before taking part in a minimum 15-minute practical assessment to complete the course.

Your County Officiating Lead will still be the best first point of contact locally to determine if this course is right for you and provide any advice or guidance.
Check back on Thursday

What you will need
We anticipate these courses will be popular and could very well sell out fast, so please make sure you are ready and fully equipped to book.

Tip: You will need your ENA ID and password to hand, as well as your credit or debit card details.
If you need help finding your ENgage credentials, please contact our online helpdesk.

Dear all
We hope you and your families are safe and well.  We certainly have had challenging times. Over the last few weeks our Twitter, new Instagram page, Facebook and club Whatsapp groups have been on overdrive!  So much excitement about training and playing. There’s plenty going on behind the scenes and it is incredible how many people are working on things to ensure that our athletes get the very best opportunities to play and train. 
 
National: England Roses
Fabulous news and congratulations to Lydia Harrison who has been selected for U17s Roses Academy. We all know how much dedication and commitment is needed to get to trial never mind be selected and it is also important to recognise Izzy Howes who also trialled.  Izzy you may not have been successful this time but to get yourself in that position in the first place deserves much recognition. Harriet King, hopefully your injury fully recovers and you will get your deserved chance too.  And for those of you who aspire to be Roses then keep going, keep working.  It is not easy but only you can do it.
 
Pathway: Leeds Rhinos
Well done to all our athletes who are involved in the performance pathway at Leeds Rhinos. We’ve missed you!  It is great to see that things are slowly getting back to some kind of normal with some NPL games taking place. Great that we have our own Super-League team in Yorkshire making a very good account of themselves in their first season.  We know that pathway athletes have been unable to train or play for Leeds Athletic and some will have had their last training sessions without realising it as they move on.  If you have moved on then we want you to remember that you are still very much part of our club. Good luck with your new adventure, be it playing for the university team or another franchise in their pathway.
 
Elite Netball
Whilst this is not a nationally recognised pathway route, it goes without saying that the high quality experience athletes are getting from this programme is can only make them stronger performers and add to the chances of being selected for a pathway place.
 
We want to thank Elite Netball for supporting us with some remote training during lockdown and securing sessions from established internationals in their field such as Nat Panagarry, Nat Haythornthwaite and Jamie Peacock.
 
West Yorkshire Seniors
We have been fortunate to have entered two teams in the West Yorkshire Competition.
 
Selection of U16/U14to play WY Seniors
Currently England Netball have passed a directive which prohibits pathway athletes participating in community level fixtures.  In the past, as a club we have had an unwritten rule where we have offered U16 athletes an opportunity to gain valuable senior experience in the West Yorkshire League. This has been offered when the coaches believe the athlete has demonstrated the ability and maturity to cope at that level.  
 
Due to the current situation regarding pathway athletes not being able to play club fixtures the opportunity has arisen where younger club athletes, U14 and U16, may be approached to play in a senior competition.  Selection will be on a needs basis and court time is not guaranteed, but the bigger picture is the introduction to the senior environment and experience at the higher level.
 
Naturally this will present different opportunities depending on needs and position.  It will of course disappoint some athletes and we need parental support to manage expectations.  If a junior athlete is aspiring to perform at elite level then they need to prepare for these ups and downs in a challenging environment and being able to take the disappointments and bounce back are crucial parts of that process. Our junior athletes will all progress and develop at different times. Please continue to encourage them regardless of our decisions.

Junior Leagues
We have had 3 U14 teams and 2 U16 teams competing in the West Yorkshire Junior League and there is a friendly on Saturday 15th May v Grangetown for our U12s.

U14/U16 will compete in round 1 of the knockout ENG competition on Saturday 1st May. 

Future Competitions and Leagues
Keep an eye on our social media and emails as coaches are looking for opportunities to play in summer tournaments.  This work is ongoing and we will confirm later.

Summer ‘pay to train’
Fees were paid last year which covered 7 months:

• 4.5 months we trained normally
• 2 months were refunded
  
• 1 month’s training was remote

 
From 3 May we will run a 4 week pay to train scheme at £10 per session or £30 for the 4 sessions.  Most sessions will be on the usual day and time although we are still in the process of firming up times and venues. Team administrators will communicate exact times and venues as soon as possible. These sessions are open to non-members so if you know any talented athletes who may want to join then please tell them to get in touch.  Due to COVID numbers are restricted.  Please pay into the usual account (details on our website) and put athlete name as the reference.
 
Trials for 2021/22
These will take place in June.  Further information will follow on social media and trial forms can be submitted on the website (not yet live).

Tours
You will have seen a Facebook post some weeks ago about tours. We are tentatively planning a tour to Australia in summer 2023 for U16 to senior level and a tour to Paris for junior athletes.  Due to the COVID situation we are not firming up plans yet.  Just keep it in mind.
 
COVID
Please look after each other by sticking to the guidance that you are receiving from your team admins and coaches.  Things can change on a daily basis.

Lisa Fox
Club Chair
Leeds Athletic Netball Club

We hope you and your families are safe and well.  Hope all studies and work are going well too.
We have spent some considerable time reviewing where we go from here.  Given that schools are not due back until 8 March at the earliest, this gives us a good indication that training and matches are unlikely to be back before then so we are using that as a benchmark.

Refunds
We will refund £40 for every athlete in lieu of these last 4 weeks.  As this involves quite a lot of work for Mark Boocock he would be grateful if you could give him 14 days to complete this. Please email maboocock@sky.com if you wish to have your refund with your account number, sort code and account name.

Training programme from week beginning 1 February
Please see the attached programme which outlines every age group and planned sessions.
U16s will still have their 1:1 this Thursday as planned.  :: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD :: 
A Zoom invite will be sent separately to each age group in the next few days which will be the same invite codes for each of your sessions. 

Each age group will have at least one HIIT session so make sure you are kitted up in your LANC kit and have a ball - get ready to burn!
We have secured sessions from Nat Panagarry,  Jamie Peacock and Nat Haythornthwaite for seniors.  Some of the sessions will be recorded so that we can share with our younger athletes in the future. 

From U14 up to Seniors there will be game analysis and theory sessions.  This is a crucial aspect of your development as a LANC athlete. 

We are expecting everyone to turn up to their 'remote' sessions as they would any normal training session so our usual system is in place. Please let your coach know if you have a genuine reason why you cannot participate.  There will be no refunds for the period of the planned programme.

We will of course be reviewing this programme and monitoring news/sport updates.

Opportunities for Summer League
We have no further relevant updates from Prem/Northern/Regional/West Yorkshire/West Yorkshire Juniors/National Clubs etc.

Elite Netball is working hard behind the scenes to ensure that if the go-ahead is given there will be a summer league for all age groups. This is very much welcomed by us and will provide a platform to get athletes ready for Season 21/20 (fingers crossed everyone!!!).

We are looking at how we will provide more 'catch up' opportunities throughout the summer once we have confirmation of being able to train and play again.

How much do you know about your game?
We love seeing your adventures and good spirit on Facebook/twitter but how many of you can find a clip of any level of netball and commentate by adding your own thoughts/views on there? You could comment on:

• skills/aspects of the game being executed well - Why is it working?  In what other areas of the game will that same skill work well?
• skills/aspects of the game not being executed well/ Why did it not work well? What should it look like? 
• why you like a specific player - what is it about them that you like and why?

It would be great for our seniors to contribute to this so our younger players can learn from you too.
Youngsters - let's encourage them to talk - our very own Netball Pundits?

Coach Development
We are keen for you to respond to this email if you think you would benefit from a coach mentoring programme or individual specifics.  We are looking to put together a programme for you .

So for now, get ready to HIIT and learn more about your game.

Best wishes
Lisa Fox
Club Chair

​You will no doubt have seen/heard official announcements about the continuation of grassroots sport through lockdown.  Netball training and games will be suspended, both indoor and outdoor, and at all age groups from and including 5th November to 2 December.

This is really tragic and we know you will all be disappointed. The club is really grateful to all those volunteers who have worked so hard behind the scenes to make it safe to return in the first place.  You have done a wonderful job and we know you will do it again as and when we need to.  Thank you.

We will be looking closely at the fees you have paid and how we can best make sure that you are either reimbursed in some way for sessions lost or if we can make them up later when we are back training.  We will not make a decision on this until after this initial period of lockdown.  

So - keep up your fitness, keep up your ball and wall wherever you can find the space. Shooters - keep putting up the shots! Keep in touch with your groups - whatsapp is great for this.  Stay positive. Stay safe.  

We will be in touch.

Lisa Fox
Club Chair

At last things have settled a bit and there seems some security to training times and match schedules are being confirmed. Everyone is enjoying being back on court and there are lots of happy faces. 

PERFORMANCE
The U14s had their first competitive (friendly) match of the season against Hull Diamonds three weeks ago. They played 6 x 10 minutes resulting in a draw of 45:45 it was amazing to be back on court in the black and blue. 

Many thanks to ENA for creating a junior league running from Lightcliffe Academy in Halifax to give our athletes the opportunity to return to competition. Parents were delighted to be able to view live streaming of some matches this weekend. Our thanks go to Mark Boocock working on behalf of ENA for creating the league and facilitating the filming. 

U16A have had two wins from two in the ENA league beating Bells significantly 57-1 in the first game and this week saw them up against tough opposition in the form of our own U16B team, a proper ding dong match with both sides providing some quality netball, the final score was 24-16. 
Last week the U16B team had a great run out, winning 32-8 over a mixed opposition team in place of Oaksway who withdrew from the league last minute. 

The U14A team won their first ENA league match 46:2 against Birkenshaw Bells B team. Lovely just to see so many happy faces on court.  The U14As conquered for a second time this week in an astounding 36-9  win over Grangetown. 
Well done to both the U14 LANC B and C teams who played each other a week ago. The girls took some time to adjust to the new umpiring rules but it is all a learning curve. The final score was 17-9 to the B team. 

Brilliant play by the LANC U14B team who secured a solid victory against Birkenshaw Bells on Sunday, final score was 37-0. Defensive play by all the athletes was magnificent. 
LANC U14C played a tough match against Diamonds this Sunday we won the last quarter 5-3 but lost the overall game 31-13. A big credit to our girls who showed determination, resilience and kept battling on until that final whistle blew! ​

What Leeds Athletic Netball Club has achieved over the last few months is unbelievable – 14 teams back training and playing in COVID secure environments, girls doing what they love with friends. The physical and mental benefits to our children of what has been achieved by a group of volunteers is unmeasurable.

We now need your help..

Leeds Athletic are hoping to raise £2000 from a crowd funding page to keep us going through the 2020/21 season, unbelievably the money we raise at the moment could be matched by Sport England giving us £4000 to put towards Covid expenses and club development.

We need prizes/rewards to put on the crowd funding page, the idea being that people pledge money for the prizes.

If you are in a position to offer services, kit, signed netball stuff, discount from a product or service please contact our fund raising manager Sarah Gould mailto:sarah@monsterpetsupplies.co.uk.

The motivation is to raise money for our club, but it can also benefit the provider through advertising and gaining new customers. See below for an example of a similar scheme, it may give you ideas for a way in that you or a friend, relative, neighbour or colleague may wish to donate. 
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/coventrians-rfc
​
It is hoped the crowd funding page will be up and running on Monday so please be inspired quickly. Additions to the page can be made after the page has been initiated so don’t worry if the deadline is too soon new items can be added as we go along. 

“Show your support to keep us on court”

As we navigate through these unusual time’s we wanted to remind you that whilst we want our athletes to partake in as many training sessions and matches as possible, we need everyone to remember that health and safety comes first.

With that in mind if there are any instances in your household or school bubbles you must abide by the rules and stay away.  We know how keen you are to be involved but you’ll be back before you know it and we look forward to seeing you when you return. This way we can keep everyone safe and play our part as a club and community.

If you have any doubt about whether you should or shouldn’t attend please contact one of your age group Team Covid Officer who will advise you.

These are your Team Covid Officers, your team admin will shortly send out their contact details. 

U11 Sunday
Natasha Luther-Jones
Lexy Johnson

U11 Tuesday
Vanessa Webber
Esther Strudwick

Under 12
Keith Mortis
Charlene Lyons

Under 14
Alison Young
Ruth Glennan
Sarah Gould (product supply)

Under 14 Wednesday
Sarah Samuel

Under 16
Kathryn Bedford
Abi Bentley

Seniors
Lisa Gorton
Sarah Lockett

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Leeds Athletic Netball Club
www.leedsathleticne

​Well it wasn’t without a few problems but we are back training. It was great to see so many smiling faces. 

TRAINING
Training sessions are all up and running now. Some times will change depending on the current Covid situation. Hopefully more venues will open and normal training times will resume. 

VENUES
Many teams and leagues are struggling to find places to set up their netball provision. We are extremely fortunate not only to have all our teams training but to have secured indoor facilities. Please continue to respect the rules in place to keep yourselves safe and respect the venue protocols. 

FEES
Leeds Athletic fees are now overdue, please ensure you have paid them directly into our bank account -

• NatWest
• Sort Code - 54-21-60
• Account number - 31872190

All deposits need the athletes name or a dedicated reference.